Chinese researchers have spotted a whale fall, a rare deep-sea ecosystem, in the South China Sea during a deep-sea scientific expedition, a science academy here said on Friday.
A whale fall occurs when the carcass of a whale has fallen onto the ocean floor in the deep sea. On the ocean floor, these carcasses provide nutrients to deep-sea creatures for decades, creating complex deep-sea ecosystems.
The whale falls are dubbed as the "oasis" of deep-sea life.
Chinese researchers spotted the whale fall during a deep-sea expedition carried out by China's oceanic research vessel Tansuo-1, which wrapped up its mission on Thursday. The whale fall is about three meters long. It is the first time that Chinese scientists have discovered this type of ecosystem, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the Chinese Academy of Sciences as saying.
They have found several species of shrimps and fish near the whale fall and spotted fish eating the whale's flesh on the tail. The whale fall might be relatively recent and needs long-term observation, Xie Wei, a scientist who participated in the expedition said.
The findings could help promote the understanding of the deep-sea ecosystem and biological divers, Xie said.